israel

1 August, 2020 - 20:57 Ed Whelan

Shipwreck Found With Both Christian and Muslim Artifacts

Off the Israeli coast, marine archaeologists have been excavating a mysterious shipwreck that is changing how experts think about the 7th century AD in the Middle East. The vessel sank in a period...

A professor of archaeology has made a controversial claim that a 3,000-year-old clay head, found at Khirbet Qeiyafa in Israel, is a Yahweh idol representing the Jewish god Yahweh. Source: Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority

1 August, 2020 - 04:28 ashley cowie

Professors Clash Over Controversial 3,000-Year-Old ‘Yahweh’ Idol

A professor of archaeology has claimed a 3,000-year-old clay head idol represents the Jewish god Yahweh. However, two other archaeologists have challenged this interpretation by pointing out why this...

The Army of Saladin, Guillaume de TyrParis, 1337. Source: Public domain

31 July, 2020 - 18:19 Ed Whelan

Battlefield Where Richard the Lionheart Defeated Saladin Located

An Israeli archaeologist has identified the long-lost battlefield of Arsuf. This was a battle that took place during the Crusades between the legendary figures of Richard the Lionheart and Saladin...

Aerial image of the Kingdom of Judah excavation, a 2,700-year-old administrative complex in Jerusalem. Source: Yaniv Berman / Israel Antiquities Authority

23 July, 2020 - 14:00 Ed Whelan

Center of Ancient Kingdom of Judah Found in Jerusalem

In Jerusalem, archaeologists have made an important discovery that is providing new insights into the biblical Kingdom of Judah . They have found what they believe is an administrative center...

Rock art found in a dolmen in the Golan Heights.

21 July, 2020 - 17:42 Sam Bostrom

Rare Rock Art in Mysterious Dolmen Discovered in the Golan

A megalithic tomb in the Golan Heights has been discovered to contain unique rock carvings. The rock art on the dolmen may provide insight into the mysterious culture that inhabited the area and...

The discovery that a collection of shells were threaded onto 120,000-year-old strings, at a cave in Israel is an important discovery which advances our understanding of human evolution. Source: Bar-Yosef Mayer et al/Plos One/PA Wire

9 July, 2020 - 22:51 ashley cowie

Evidence of 120,000-Year-Old String Discovered in Israeli Cave

A team of archaeologists excavating a cave in Israel have made the incredible discovery of a collection of shells that were once threaded onto strings and worn by humans as beads 120,000 years ago...

Stamp seal found in the excavation of a parking lot in Jerusalem depicts a person believed to be a king sitting on a chair, with columns which probably represent the Babylonian gods Nabu and Marduk. The finds may provide clues as to the resettlement of the city by the Jews after the Babylonian Exile. Source: (Shai Halevy / Israel Antiquities Authority)

30 June, 2020 - 18:51 Ed Whelan

Seals Tell of Jewish Return to Jerusalem After Babylonian Exile

In Jerusalem, the discovery of two homemade seals may provide unprecedented insights into an extremely critical period in Jewish history and the Bible . The artifact is showing that the city remained...

The Byzantine church at the possible biblical city Bethsaida, flooded by the swollen Kinneret. Source: Nir-Shlomo Zelinger

6 June, 2020 - 18:50 Ed Whelan

Biblical Village Cursed by Jesus Flooded by Rising Sea of Galilee

As life regains some normalcy in many countries, archaeologists have returned to work on several archaeological sites around the world. In Israel, local archaeologists were stunned to discover that...

30 May, 2020 - 23:01 Jonathon Perrin

Do Akhenaten’s Links With Shavuot Shed New Light on Moses? – Part 2

Buried beneath the themes of first fruits and wheat offerings lie deeper connections between Shavuot and Akhenaten. These are suggestive and persuasive and go far beyond delicious foods and...

The origins of the Jewish festival Shavuot’s traditions are obscure. But what if they could be linked to Pharaoh Akhenaten, offering a new view on Moses? Pictures: Representation of Moses’ famous crossing of the sea. Source: Vlastimil Šesták / Adobe stock

30 May, 2020 - 02:06 Jonathon Perrin

An Akhenaten Connection to the Harvest Festival of Shavuot - Part 1

The Jewish festival of Shavuot is taking place around the world. It is an ancient celebration of the spring harvest of grains and first fruits. It is the year’s first wheat harvest, and Jews around...

Clay plate discovered in Tell Jemmeh, Israel. Source: Emil Elgem / IAA.

25 May, 2020 - 19:03 Ed Whelan

Clay Plate Shows Brutality of War in Ancient Near East

In Israel , a six year-old boy has made an amazing discovery in the desert. He found a 3,500 year-old clay plate, that shows the brutal aftermath of a conflict in the region during the Bronze Age ...

Excavating subterranean chambers at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, Israel. Source: IAA

20 May, 2020 - 06:22 ashley cowie

Puzzling Subterranean Chambers Discovered at Jerusalem's Western Wall

Three 2,000-year-old subterranean chambers have been found by students excavating at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The actual purpose of these underground rooms is perplexing archaeologists...

The Dead Sea Scroll fragments, which originally were believed to be blank, but now new research has revealed ancient writing. Source: University of Manchester

19 May, 2020 - 22:45 Ed Whelan

‘Blank’ Dead Sea Scroll Fragments Reveal Hidden Message

A team of experts have made an important discovery about some Dead Sea Scroll fragments in the United Kingdom. They have found letters on four fragments that were believed to be ‘blanks’. This...

Bar-Kokhba Rebellion coin inscribed with the words "Return to Israel" with a cluster of grapes in the center. Source: (Koby Harati/City of David/Israel Antiquities Authority)

12 May, 2020 - 13:38 Ed Whelan

Ancient Coin of Jewish Bar-Kokhba Rebellion Against Rome Unearthed

In Jerusalem, archaeologists have unearthed a very rare find. They have revealed a coin that was issued by Jewish rebels against Roman rule from the 2 nd century AD. It was minted by the last Jewish...

Stone balls, aka petrospheres were found at Qesem cave, Israel. Source: Assaf et al 2020

15 April, 2020 - 14:01 ashley cowie

Mystery of Stone Balls at ‘Magic’ Qesem Cave Finally Solved

Petrospheres, or spheroids, are two archaeological names for any man-made spherical object made from stone. These mostly prehistoric artifacts have been found intricately carved and painted,...

Macquarie student Hannah Newman discovered the bronze calf figurine during the last week of the excavation at the Ziklag site. Source: Macquarie University

14 April, 2020 - 23:00 Ed Whelan

Students Unearth Rare Treasures at Lost Biblical City of Ziklag

A team of students working on what may be the long-lost biblical city of Ziklag have uncovered a hoard of rare objects at a site in Israel . Their finds are adding to the body of evidence that the...